Method for producing filled foodstuff hollow bodies

ABSTRACT

Process for the production of filled food hollow mouldings, in which each hollow moulding has at least one cavity, which is open to the environment and filled with a filling material solid at ambient temperature and having a cross-sectional dimension between approximately 0.25 mm 2  and approximately 1 cm 2 , characterized in that in a first stage the hollow mouldings are coated at reduced pressure with the filling material, a filling material coating temperature being set in such a way that the filling material is flowable and in which in a second step the pressure is raised, so that the flowable coating material enters the cavities.

[0001] The invention relates to a process for the production of filled food hollow mouldings, in which each hollow moulding has at least one cavity filled with a filling material solid at ambient temperature and open to the environment and having a cross-sectional dimension between approximately 0.25 mm² and approximately 1 cm².

[0002] Processes for the production of filled food hollow mouldings and processes for the filling of prefabricated hollow mouldings are known. In a first process working takes place with two parallel extrusion strands or lines of different materials and the resulting extrudate is cut after extrusion into small, compact pieces giving food composites having in an outer area a carrier material and in a cavity or several cavities distributed over the carrier material and which in the finished state are open to the outside, a filling material. In another process initially e.g. by extrusion food hollow mouldings are produced, e.g. in the form of small hollow cylinders, which can be closed in an end portion, the hollow moulding subsequently being filled with a filling material and the or each cavity is stripped at its mouth or opening face, so that the filling material is exclusively located within the cavity.

[0003] The known processes are disadvantageous in that they either require relatively high apparatus expenditure in order to produce a coextruded product and/or require complicated working steps, such as e.g. the stripping of openings of the hollow mouldings.

[0004] The problem of the invention is to provide a less complicated and costly process according to the preamble enabling large quantities to be produced.

[0005] According to the invention this problem is solved by a process for the production of filled food hollow mouldings, in which each hollow moulding has at least one cavity, which is open to the environment and filled with a filling material solid at ambient temperature and having a cross-sectional dimension between approximately 0.25 mm² and approximately 1 cm², characterized in that in a first stage the hollow mouldings are coated at reduced pressure with the filling material, a filling material coating temperature being set in such a way that the filling material is flowable and in which in a second step the pressure is raised, so that the flowable coating material enters the cavities.

[0006] It is possible to spray on the filling material. It is possible to use a water-containing and/or fat-containing and/or protein-containing filling material.

[0007] The coating temperature can be between 30° C. and 98° C., preferably 60° C. In the second step the pressure can be lowered to between 20 and 800 mbar, preferably to 200 mbar.

[0008] The hollow mouldings can be produced by extrusion and can be hollow cylindrical.

[0009] The hollow mouldings can be produced from a porous material. Prior to the first step the hollow mouldings can be vacuum-coated with coating material. Additionally, prior to the first step and in particular prior to vacuum coating, the hollow mouldings can be dried under reduced pressure.

[0010] The hollow mouldings can have cavities, which are open to the environment with one and/or several end portions.

[0011] The coating temperature is approximately set in such a way that the resulting filling material viscosity leads to the filling material advancing to the greatest possible extent into the cavities of the hollow mouldings. Preferably the filling material completely fills the cavities.

[0012] In a particularly appropriate embodiment in the first step such a filling material quantity is used that after the second step there is essentially no filling material outside the cavities on the hollow mouldings.

[0013] Preferably a plurality of hollow mouldings are simultaneously filled in a mixing vessel or filled hollow mouldings are produced, the hollow mouldings being stirred or mixed during the first and/or second step.

[0014] After the second step, the filled hollow mouldings can be coated with a covering material containing colouring and/or flavouring substances.

[0015] The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to an embodiment and the attached drawings, wherein show:

[0016]FIG. 1 A simplified plant diagram for performing the process according to the invention.

[0017]FIG. 2 Temperature and pressure gradients during the individual process steps in a vacuum coating device, as used in the plant according to FIG. 1.

[0018]FIG. 3A per se known vacuum coating device.

[0019]FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a plant for performing the inventive process for the production of filled food hollow mouldings, a starting material being preconditioned following the addition of additives such as fat, water, etc. and is extruded in an extruder to a desired cross-sectional shape, consideration e.g. being given to the production of a hollow cylindrical cross-section. In a typical situation, directly upstream of the extruder mouth the extruded material has a temperature of approximately 125° C. and a moisture content of 25%. Following comminution of the extruded, strand-like material to a desired length of e.g. 1 cm, the thus produced hollow mouldings enter a dryer where they are e.g. dried for 30 minutes at 140° C. (product temperature approximately 95° C.) to a moisture content of 6% and are conveyed into a temporary storage means.

[0020] Fundamentally there can be a random size, shape and number of cavities per hollow moulding and apart from a hollow cylindrical construction random other embodiments are possible, such as e.g. mouldings having several cylindrical or also conically tapering openings, in which the openings are parallel to one another or pass in different directions. In the manner of blind holes, the cavities can terminate blind in the hollow moulding and several hollow mouldings can be interconnected. All that is important is that each basic or hollow moulding provided with one or more cavities has a certain capacity for receiving a filling material flowable in a processing state and which is subsequently solid at ambient temperature. In addition, the openings or cavities must be sufficiently large to be clearly visible with the naked eye, i.e. the cross-sectional dimension should be at least approximately 0.25 mm², which corresponds to a diameter of approximately 0.5 mm. The maximum appropriate diameter for such openings or cavities is approximately 1 cm² or a diameter of approximately 1 cm, in the case of cavities with a circular cross-section.

[0021] The filling or coating process according to the invention takes place in a per se known pivotable vacuum mixer or coater, which is shown in FIG. 3. As can be gathered from FIGS. 1 and 3, the vacuum mixer has a mixing vessel with mixing blades rotatable about a horizontal swivel axis and a sealable filling or emptying opening facing the same. By pivoting by 180° the mixer is brought from the filling and working position into an emptying position.

[0022] Following the introduction of a desired quantity of food hollow mouldings to be filled and taken as bulk material from the temporary storage means, the mixer is sealed and the pressure within the mixer reduced to approximately 200 mbar. The desired filling material, e.g. a material containing fat and/or water and/or protein is sprayed onto the hollow mouldings, the filling material temperature being set in such a way that the material is in the from of a flowable cream. The material can e.g. have a temperature of approximately 60° C. This temperature to be set can also be dependent on the temperature of the hollow mouldings located in the mixer and the mixing ratio between the filing material and the hollow mouldings, because following contact between the filling material and the hollow mouldings a joint temperature is set, which can differ from the temperature with which the filling material must have a viscosity such that it flows or is forced into the cavities of the hollow mouldings and preferably substantially or completely fills the same.

[0023] When all the filling material has been sprayed into the mixer and the hollow mouldings are uniformly coated with the material as a result of the mixing process, the filling material still being located on the outer face of the hollow mouldings, the pressure inside the mixer is gradually raised again to ambient pressure. It has surprisingly been found that the filling material originally more or less uniformly distributed on the outer surface of the hollow mouldings is substantially exclusively and completely forced or flows into the cavities of the hollow mouldings.

[0024]FIG. 2 illustrates the above-described coating process by means of the time pressure gradient within the mixer.

[0025] When using a porous material for producing the basic or hollow mouldings to be filled, the pores of the material can be filled in a preceding step with an e.g. fat-containing coating material, working appropriately taking place in the vacuum coating process. Instead of drying the extruded hollow mouldings in a separate dryer, the drying operation can be directly performed in the mixer, optionally with an energy supply (heat) from the outside, in that prior to the coating process the pressure within the mixer is lowered well below 200 mbar, e.g. to 40 mbar, which corresponds to a boiling point of approximately 30° C. (in the case of aqueous filling materials) and leads to a relatively rapid drying and cooling. 

1. Process for the production of filled food hollow mouldings, in which each hollow moulding has at least one cavity, which is open to the environment and filled with a filling material solid at ambient temperature and having a cross-sectional dimension between approximately 0.25 mm² and approximately 1 cm², characterized in that in a first stage the hollow mouldings are coated reduced pressure with the filling material, a filling material coating temperature being set in such a way that the filling material is flowable and in which in a second step the pressure is raised, so that the flowable coating material enters the cavities.
 2. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the filling material is sprayed on.
 3. Process according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that use is made of a filling material containing water and/or fat and/or protein.
 4. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coating temperature is between 30 and 98° C., preferably 60° C.
 5. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressure in the second step is lowered to between 20 and 800 mbar, preferably 200 mbar.
 6. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hollow mouldings are produced by extrusion.
 7. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hollow mouldings are hollow cylindrical.
 8. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hollow mouldings are produced from a porous material.
 9. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, prior to the first step, the hollow mouldings are vacuum-coated with a coating material.
 10. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, prior to the first step, the hollow mouldings are dried under reduced pressure.
 11. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hollow mouldings have cavities, which are open to the environment with one and/or several end portions.
 12. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coating temperature is set in such a way that the resulting filling material viscosity leads to the filling material substantially advancing into the cavities of the hollow mouldings.
 13. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the filling material completely fills the cavities.
 14. Process according to on eof the preceding claims, characterized in that such a filling material quantity is used in the first step that following the second step there is substantially no further filling material outside the cavities on the hollow mouldings.
 15. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of filled hollow mouldings is simultaneously produced in a mixing vessel, the hollow mouldings being stirred during the first and/or second step.
 16. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, following the second step, the filled hollow mouldings are coated with a covering material containing colouring and/or flavouring substances.
 17. Process according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an animal food is produced. 